Architects’ Business Blog
Insights, Strategies and Success Stories
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Biennale College Architettura 2025: A Strategic Opportunity for Small Firms
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition, Biennale Architettura 2025, curated by Carlo Ratti, will open in Venice on May 10, running through November 23, 2025. Under the theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., the exhibition frames architecture’s response to the climate crisis through a lens of multidisciplinary intelligence. While Ratti’s curatorial narrative and the event’s scale command…
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Hiring an Architect for Your Boutique Firm in 2025: Building Your Brand
For boutique architecture firms, every hire is a statement. With rising costs and sustainability mandates, adding an architect to your small team is not just about capacity, it is about defining your brand. This guide is for small architecture firms with a small team and juggling 5-15 projects yearly, looking to onboard a permanent architect…
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5 Hiring Red Flags for Small Architecture Firms
As a small architecture firm owner, hiring an architect is a pivotal move. With a lean operation, perhaps a dozen projects a year, a single misstep can unravel your momentum and reputation. Current trends, where sustainability and technology are reshaping expectations, the stakes are even higher. This post hones into industry shifts to spotlight five…
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Leveraging Porter’s Value Chain in Architectural Practice
Porter’s Value Chain analysis serves as a strategic framework for achieving competitive advantage by systematically enhancing value across every stage of operations. This allows firms to refine processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen their market position through continuous optimization. Is architecture a service, a product, or an art? The answer is often “all of the above,”…
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The Legacy of the Aga Khan
Who Was Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV For decades, the name Aga Khan has been synonymous with architecture that bridges heritage, sustainability, and innovation. From the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) to urban revitalization efforts worldwide, the contributions of the Aga Khan have left a significant mark on the built environment. On on…
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A Business Model for Sustainable African Architecture
Meet Mariam Issoufou; Trailblazer Architect from Niger Mariam Issoufou, a Nigerien architect passionate about sustainable and contextually grounded design, has distinguished herself in the architectural field. Her firm, Mariam Issoufou Architects, provides a compelling model for architects globally, especially those working in emerging markets. This post examines the core principles of her practice, demonstrating how…
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3D Printing Can Transform Your Architecture Firm
Enhancing Design, Operations, and Revenue 3D printing is more than just a tool for model-making; it can be a strong strategic asset that provides architects with a competitive edge to enhance marketing efforts and strengthen brand identity. Model Making; Enhancing Client Communication Producing precise, scaled architectural models in-house is a key advantage of 3D printing.…
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Architectural Trends Shaping the Industry Today: Reflections
‘Cities are built, but the world is impacted. Urban design creates either a sustainable legacy or an environmental liability’ The global architectural scene is a hotbed of innovation. New projects are constantly pushing the boundaries of design, technology, and cultural relevance. From the soaring heights of the Jeddah Tower, a key example of vertical urbanism,…
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Woke Architecture
A Design Philosophy for Awareness and Action The term “Woke Architecture” has emerged in recent discourse, though it seems to lack a formal definition within architectural theory. Broadly, it could refer to design practices that consciously address social justice, inclusivity, and equity. This approach emphasizes creating spaces that reflect diverse cultural narratives and challenge traditional…
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How Architects Work in 2025: Systems Thinking
Architects who will thrive in 2025 are those who see themselves not just as designers of buildings, but as orchestrators of ecosystems. An Opinion As an architect and the curator of this blog, I have spent years observing the ebb and flow of our profession. While the buzz around AI and its transformative potential is…
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Sales Mastery for Architects: A Tailored Strategy for Boutique Firms
Developing a bespoke sales strategy for boutique architecture firms requires a nuanced approach. It needs to reflect the personalized and high-quality services on offer. Drawing inspiration from Simon Squib’s ’10 Steps That’ll Turn You Into A Sales Machine’ here is a tailored sales strategy for architects: Define Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) Understand Your Target…
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Essential Trades for High-Rise Construction
Constructing a high-rise building in modern cities requires collaboration among a wide array of specialized trades. Here is a brief guide to the essential trades usually involved in the construction of a high-rise: Design and Planning Structural Trades Exterior Envelope Interior Construction MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment) Specialized Trades Final…
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Why Architecture’s Blind Spots Are Hurting Our Cities
Contemporary architecture’s narrow focus on the main facade at the expense of the wider urban context has produced a visually discordant urban landscape that detracts from the overall aesthetic coherence of cities. Reclaiming the Forgotten Facades: The Missing Dimension in Architecture Contemporary architecture often prioritizes the main facade, crafting dramatic and visually arresting designs for…
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Why Architecture Must Design for Chaos; Not Stability
Architects at the Forefront of Rebuilding Societies The way we build our cities can exacerbate the impact of disasters, turning shelters into death traps. Architecture, however, must be a force for sustainable resilience, not fragility! Thriving through Chaos “Chaos: the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system” – Merriam Webster What if…
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Is Your Architectural Firm Failing?
A Framework for Recognition and Recovery Jim Collins’ book, How the Mighty Fall, presents a transformative framework for understanding organizational decline, providing a perspective that can be applied to architectural practices. While architects often focus on creativity and innovation, the same principles that apply to corporate giants are equally critical to smaller design firms. This…
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The Right to Sanitation: Leveraging the Public Urination Crisis
The global crisis of public urination, a persistent urban blight, has plagued cities for centuries. Despite the UN SDG’s recognition of sanitation as a fundamental human right, the issue remains unresolved, even in areas with public toilets. In cities where such facilities are scarce or inaccessible, the problem is exacerbated. While societal attitudes and personal…
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The Genius Architecture of Shibam: Yemen
A Timeless Model of Sustainable and Human-Centric Design Nestled in Yemen’s Hadhramaut region, Shibam stands as a testament to human ingenuity and a model of sustainable and human-centric design. Renowned for its towering mudbrick buildings, some reaching up to 11 stories, the city showcases how ancient communities thrived by working in harmony with their environment.…
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The Cost of Space Ambitions: Opportunity or Detriment?
Are We Sacrificing Earth to Build Beyond? The quest to build in space, from habitats on the Moon to missions to Mars, and God only knows where else, marks an intriguing era for architecture and design. It brings along with it a plethora of questions about the environmental and human costs we might not be…
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The Space Architect: Design for Extreme Environments
What is Space Architecture? Simply said, space architecture is the design and engineering of structures for use in outer space. It is design and construction for extreme environments where the primary goal is to create a livable environment that protects inhabitants from external elements and maintain life. However, designing for space introduces unprecedented constraints such…
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Architect-Client Relationships: Mitigating Conflict
The architect-client relationship is a cornerstone of successful projects. However, challenging client behavior can disrupt this delicate balance, leading to compromised design integrity, project delays, and financial loss. This post explores the more common examples of such behavior and offers practical contractual strategies to protect architects’ interests. Conflict resolution can indeed be a crucial component…